The present invention is generally directed to wheels for use on automobiles and other vehicles and, more specifically, to wheels that preferably do not require the placement of weights along the rim to compensate for the weight of valve stems or tire sensors.
Typically, wheels and their associated tires are spun balanced prior to placement on a vehicle. This balancing ensures optimal operation and reduced wear on the tire during operation of the associated vehicle. Conventionally, weights are added along the rim of a wheel to compensate for uneven weight distribution so that the wheel is properly balanced during the spin balancing or similar test.
The above procedure is even more important in racing or high-performance vehicles where the valve stem may be alloy and the tire sensor is more likely to be included. With racing or other high-performance vehicles minimal weight is optimal for maximum performance and handling with minimal fuel consumption. As such, the necessary adding of weights along the rim of a wheel to compensate for the weight of a high-performance valve stem and tire sensor creates an undesirable situation.
It may be advantageous to provide a wheel that is preferably configured to allow the addition of a valve stem and/or tire sensor without requiring the placement of additional weights along the rim thereof for proper balancing, that reduces the overall weight of the wheel and tire, that reduces the overall fuel consumption of the associated vehicle, and/or that may improve the mileage of vehicles using the wheel.